User Reviews

Weaknesses: Like plastic tyres on a sports bike on any surface apart from pure mud...

Bottom Line:

These are the most dangerous tyres I have ever used. If you are planning on riding solely around a muddy field then buy them. If you ride xc around fields in woods or fire roads, then do not go near any roots as they have zero grip and you will come off. I came off on a stretch of road with a light dusting of snow at 18mph going in a straight line. I've used twice in wet and icy cold conditions and have taken them off and will get rid of them to never be used again...

Strengths: Will power through any mud. Grip well on other surfaces as well. I put these tires on last February my first ride out with them it was counting the dry spots on the trail, almost all mud. Powered through everything no problem. I've had these tires in the mud, sand, hard packed trails, over roots, and around town. As far as I can tell they've handled everything I can dish up for them.
I was also able to order these tires online for cheaper that the walmart cheapies. For the money that I spent on the tires I've been more than pleased with their performance and durability.

Weaknesses: None that I've found.

Bottom Line:

I would recommend these tires to any of my friends or family that were looking for a great set of all round mountain biking tires.

Weaknesses: Not so grippy in corners, and weak rubber knobs get torn off on rocks, and even curbs.

Bottom Line:

When they're new they're grippy on braking and climbing, but have terrible rolling resistance.
After 20 hours of riding, they're now more than 50% worn on the knobs that haven't been torn apart.
On the bright side the rolling resistance is better now that most of the center knobs have their edges sheared off.
Bottom line, it makes an ok rear tire since it has good grip on climbs, but the grip while cornering is poor. This grip will last about 10 average rides unless you stick to soft surfaces or grass that won't wear the rubber.

Strengths: as advertised, excellent in mud, clear quickly, good grip all around

Weaknesses: wire bead

Bottom Line:

bought for winter and muddy conditions, these tires are great in the mud, even the clay. work well in the snow, they are thinner than dry tires and it allows them to cut through the muck. slipped a bit on wet and muddy roots, but not badly. lost the front a couple times on the brakes and turning and they gave warning. factor in the price and these are a serious deal.

Got surprised recently by some not-too-serious mud that absolutely locked up my WTB Wolverine tires as they retained almost all the mud they contacted, so I decided to get some real mud tires. My "mud tires" in the past have been relatively narrow general purpose tires with tall, well-spaced knobs, i.e. Specialized Team Control. Those worked OK, but mostly I elected to stay out of the mud and ride my road bike a lot more in the winter. This year I'm committed to stay on my MTB as much as possible, so I paid the very reasonable price for the Country Muds. They work great, doing exactly as advertised. I rode the same patch that locked up the Wolverines, after even more rain, and the Country Muds plowed right through. They held a little bit of mud while actually in the muddy sections, but quickly shed almost all of it once they were on firmer ground. Now I need some fenders, because most of the mud that gets shed ends up on me.

Can't go wrong for the money - these tires deliver as advertised and they're very inexpensive. For now I run both tires in the "front" direction and traction is great. I'll flip the back one around if I start feeling some loss of grip.

Now I need some fenders, because most of the mud that gets shed ends up on me.

Weaknesses: a bit thinner looking than other 2.0's (maybe not a weakness).

Bottom Line:

Surprisingly great tire. Wish it was a bit wider, but it grips very well. Bought it on the recommendation of my LBS mechanic at REI and was not disappointed. Good compromise of strength, grip, weight and the price was right. Tire gripped well on most all terrain, though I would spin out on wet roots/rocks...but then what tire wouldn't?
Recently picked up a new Kenda Komodo on clearance and tried moving the Michelin to the front. Mistake! The more expensive Komodo did not grip as well, and the Michelin was not as responsive as a Panaracer Dart front tire.
Everything is back where they belong and life is good.
Oh, I should mention, when riding in the winter, I actually reversed the direction for even more grip.
The five Chilis reflect the fact that I only use these on dry and wet trails and they perform better than one would expect for an inexpensive tire. I do not ride these on the street so I could care less about rolling resistance on concrete (just fine on dirt/leaves/pine needles/mud), I just want the grip!

Strengths: very good traction in all conditions and reliable throughout entire year.

Weaknesses: none except the occasional puncture

Bottom Line:

a good all year round tyre that gives excellent traction in all conditions. its a very cheap tyre that is excellent value for money when compared to the performance of higher more expensive tyres. had them on my bike for a year now and havent had to replace them yet!

Bike Setup: Scott Yekora All XT, Disc brakes Avid BB7 160mm, Mavic wheels, IRC Marathon tires in front and Michellin Mud and Country in the back

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by
Derek
a Cross Country Rider
from Washington State

Date Reviewed: October 7, 2007

Strengths: Wears extremely well, great mud and dry capabilities. Only Michelin that hasn't blown it's sidewalls, I've had this same tire for four years and use it seasonally.

Weaknesses: None. The only Michelin I can state this about.

Bottom Line:

I ride a mtb alot: 60ish miles of singletrack a week in season and I race expert class. I have a love/hate thing for Michelin. They make fantastic treads in a great variety, but I hate the longevity issues. Installing it seasonally, I'm still amazed that I've gone through three or four other Michelins due to blown sidewalls and still have this tire after four years. Maybe it's a fluke and I should send it to them to recalibrate their manufacturing methods.So this is my favorite all-round tire; especially in mud where it handles like riding in dry dirt.

Weaknesses: Jury is still out on durability but who care when the tire only cost 9 dollars with free shipping

Bottom Line:

Seems to be a really good tire so far. It handles the loose rocky trails at Lost Valley very well with no slippage. And in my opinion their seems to be very little rolling resistance. Bottom line it is a good tire with and even better price.